What happened today in history
August
What happened on August 16
On August 16 history recorded 69 notable events. 160 people who left a mark were born on this day, and 112 died. Here is the full almanac.
- 69events
- 160births
- 112deaths
- 14observances
Highlights
Highlights
1513War of the League of Cambrai: English and Imperial forces defeated French cavalry, forcing them to retreat.
The War of the League of Cambrai, also known by its second stage as the War of the Holy League, was fought from December 1508 to December 1516, as part of the wider Italian Wars of 1494–1559. The main participants of the war, who fought for its entire duration
1777American Revolutionary War: American forces routed British and German troops at the Battle of Bennington in Walloomsac, New York.
The American Revolutionary War, also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence or simply the American Revolution, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which American Patriot for
1819Around 15 people were killed and 400 to 700 others injured when cavalry charged into a crowd demanding the reform of parliamentary representation in Manchester, England.
Cavalry are groups of soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry in the roles of reconnaissance, screening, and skirmishing, or as heavy cavalry for d
August 16
On this day
I century BC
- 1 BC
1 BCWang Mang consolidates his power in China and is declared marshal of state. Emperor Ai of Han, who died the previous day, had no heirs.
X century
- 942
942Start of the four-day Battle of al-Mada'in, between the Hamdanids of Mosul and the Baridis of Basra over control of the Abbasid capital, Baghdad. - 963
963Nikephoros II Phokas is crowned emperor of the Byzantine Empire, swearing to protect the two sons of the previous emperor Romanos II, who are already crowned co-emperors. - 965
965Nikephoros II Phokas captures the city of Tarsus, finalising the Byzantine conquest of Cilicia.
XIV century
XVI century
- 1513
1513Battle of the Spurs (Battle of Guinegate): King Henry VIII of England and his Imperial allies defeat French forces who are then forced to retreat. - 1550
1550Rabbi Moses Isserles issues his ruling in the Bragadin-Giustiniani dispute, one of the earliest instances of a copyright suit over any book. - 1570
1570The Principality of Transylvania is established after John II Zápolya renounces his claim as King of Hungary in the Treaty of Speyer.
XVII century
XVIII century
- 1717
1717Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718): An imperial coalition army under Prince Eugene of Savoy defeats an Ottoman army under Haji Halil Pasha, leading to the surrender of the Ottoman garrison of Belgrade a few days later. - 1777
1777American Revolutionary War: The Americans led by General John Stark rout British and Brunswick troops under Friedrich Baum at the Battle of Bennington in Walloomsac, New York. - 1780
1780American Revolutionary War: Battle of Camden: The British defeat the Americans near Camden, South Carolina. - 1792
1792Maximilien Robespierre presents the petition of the Commune of Paris to the Legislative Assembly, which demanded the formation of a revolutionary tribunal. - 1793
1793French Revolution: A levée en masse is decreed by the National Convention.
XIX century
- 1812
1812War of 1812: American General William Hull surrenders Fort Detroit without a fight to the British Army. - 1819
1819Peterloo Massacre: Seventeen people die and over 600 are injured in cavalry charges at a public meeting at St. Peter's Field, Manchester, England. - 1837
1837Three African soldiers in the 1st West India Regiment – Daaga, Edward Coffin and Maurice Ogston – are executed for their role in the St. Joseph Mutiny in the British colony of Trinidad. - 1841
1841U.S. President John Tyler vetoes a bill which called for the re-establishment of the Second Bank of the United States. Enraged Whig Party members riot outside the White House in the most violent demonstration on White House grounds in U.S. history. - 1844
1844Governor-general of the Philippines Narciso Claveria signs a decree to reform the country's calendar by skipping Tuesday, December 31, as a solution to anomalies that had existed since Ferdinand Magellan's arrival in 1521. - 1858
1858U.S. President James Buchanan inaugurates the new transatlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. However, a weak signal forces a shutdown of the service in a few weeks. - 1859
1859The Grand Duchy of Tuscany formally deposes the exiled House of Lorraine. - 1863
1863The Dominican Restoration War begins when Gregorio Luperón raises the Dominican flag in Santo Domingo after Spain had recolonized the country. - 1869
1869Battle of Acosta Ñu: A Paraguayan battalion largely made up of children is massacred by the Brazilian Army during the Paraguayan War. - 1870
1870Franco-Prussian War: The Battle of Mars-la-Tour is fought, resulting in a Prussian victory. - 1876
1876Richard Wagner's Siegfried, the penultimate opera in his Ring cycle, is premiered at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus. - 1891
1891The Basilica of San Sebastian, Manila, the first all-steel church in Asia, is officially inaugurated and blessed. - 1896
1896Skookum Jim Mason, George Carmack and Dawson Charlie discover gold in a tributary of the Klondike River in Canada, setting off the Klondike Gold Rush. - 1900
1900The Battle of Elands River during the Second Boer War ends after a 13-day siege is lifted by the British. The battle had begun when a force of between 2,000 and 3,000 Boers had surrounded a force of 500 Australians, Rhodesians, Canadians and British soldiers at a supply dump at Brakfontein Drift.
XX century
- 1906
1906The 8.2 Mw Valparaíso earthquake hits central Chile, killing 3,882 people. - 1913
1913Tōhoku Imperial University of Japan (modern day Tohoku University) becomes the first university in Japan to admit female students. - 1913
1913Completion of the Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS Queen Mary. - 1914
1914German admiral Wilhelm Souchon hands over the two warships under his command to the Ottomans and becomes commander of the Turkish navy, leading later to the entry of the Ottoman Empire in World War I. - 1916
1916The Migratory Bird Treaty between Canada and the United States is signed. - 1918
1918The Battle of Lake Baikal is fought between the Czechoslovak Legion and the Red Army. - 1920
1920Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians is hit on the head by a fastball thrown by Carl Mays of the New York Yankees. Next day, Chapman will become the second player to die from injuries sustained in a Major League Baseball game. - 1920
1920The congress of the Communist Party of Bukhara opens. The congress would call for armed revolution. - 1920
1920Polish–Soviet War: The Battle of Radzymin concludes; the Soviet Red Army is forced to turn away from Warsaw. - 1923
1923The United Kingdom gives the name "Ross Dependency" to part of its claimed Antarctic territory and makes the Governor-General of the Dominion of New Zealand its administrator. - 1927
1927The Dole Air Race begins from Oakland, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii, during which six out of the eight participating planes crash or disappear. - 1929
1929The 1929 Palestine riots break out in Mandatory Palestine between Palestinian Arabs and Jews and continue until the end of the month. In total, 133 Jews and 116 Arabs are killed. - 1930
1930The first color sound cartoon, Fiddlesticks, is released by Ub Iwerks. - 1930
1930The first British Empire Games are opened in Hamilton, Ontario, by the Governor General of Canada, the Viscount Willingdon. - 1933
1933Christie Pits riot takes place in Toronto, Ontario. - 1942
1942World War II: US Navy L-class blimp L-8 drifts in from the Pacific and eventually crashes in Daly City, California. The two-man crew cannot be found. - 1943
1943World War II: 317 Greek civilians are murdered by soldiers of the German 1st Mountain Division in the village of Kommeno, Greece. - 1944
1944First flight of a jet with forward-swept wings, the Junkers Ju 287. - 1945
1945The National Representatives' Congress, the precursor of the current National Assembly of Vietnam, convenes in Sơn Dương. - 1946
1946Mass riots in Kolkata begin; more than 4,000 people would be killed in 72 hours. - 1946
1946The All Hyderabad Trade Union Congress is founded in Secunderabad. - 1954
1954The first issue of Sports Illustrated is published. - 1960
1960Cyprus gains its independence from the United Kingdom. - 1960
1960Joseph Kittinger parachutes from a balloon over New Mexico, United States, at 102,800 feet (31,300 m), setting three records that held until 2012: High-altitude jump, free fall, and highest speed by a human without an aircraft. - 1964
1964Vietnam War: A coup d'état replaces Dương Văn Minh with General Nguyễn Khánh as President of South Vietnam. A new constitution is established with aid from the U.S. Embassy. - 1966
1966Vietnam War: The House Un-American Activities Committee begins investigations of Americans who have aided the Viet Cong. The committee intends to introduce legislation making these activities illegal. Anti-war demonstrators disrupt the meeting and 50 people are arrested. - 1972
1972In an unsuccessful coup d'état attempt, the Royal Moroccan Air Force fires upon Hassan II of Morocco's plane while he is traveling back to Rabat. - 1975
1975Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam symbolically hands over land to the Gurindji people after the eight-year Wave Hill walk-off, a landmark event in the history of Indigenous land rights in Australia, commemorated in a 1991 song by Paul Kelly and an annual celebration. - 1986
1986A Sudan Airways Fokker F27 Friendship is shot down near Malakal in present day South Sudan, killing 60. - 1987
1987Northwest Airlines Flight 255, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashes after takeoff in Detroit, Michigan, killing 154 of the 155 on board, plus two people on the ground. - 1989
1989A solar particle event affects computers at the Toronto Stock Exchange, forcing a halt to trading. - 1991
1991Indian Airlines Flight 257, a Boeing 737-200, crashes during approach to Imphal Airport, killing all 69 people on board.
XXI century
- 2005
2005West Caribbean Airways Flight 708, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashes in Machiques, Venezuela, killing all 160 people on board. - 2008
2008The Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago is topped off at 1,389 feet (423 m), at the time becoming the world's highest residence above ground-level. - 2010
2010AIRES Flight 8250 crashes at Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport in San Andrés, San Andrés y Providencia, Colombia, killing two people. - 2012
2012South African police fatally shoot 34 miners and wound 78 more during an industrial dispute at Marikana near Rustenburg. - 2013
2013The ferry St. Thomas Aquinas collides with a cargo ship and sinks at Cebu, Philippines, killing 61 people with 59 others missing. - 2015
2015More than 96 people are killed and hundreds injured following a series of air-raids by the Syrian Arab Air Force on the rebel-held market town of Douma. - 2015
2015Trigana Air Flight 267, an ATR 42, crashes in Oksibil, Bintang Mountains Regency, killing all 54 people on board. - 2020
2020The August Complex fire in California burns more than one million acres of land.
Best known
Born on August 16
Best known
Died on August 16
Holidays and observances
- Bennington Battle Day (Vermont, United States)
- Children's Day (Paraguay)
- Christian feast day: Ana Petra Pérez Florido
- Christian feast day: Armel (Armagillus)
- Christian feast day: Diomedes of Tarsus
- Christian feast day: Roch
- Christian feast day: Stephen I of Hungary
- Christian feast day: Translation of the Acheiropoietos icon from Edessa to Constantinople. (Eastern Orthodox Church)
- Christian feast day: August 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Gozan no Okuribi (Kyoto, Japan)
- National Airborne Day (United States)
- Restoration Day (Dominican Republic)
- The first day of the Independence Days, celebrates the independence of Gabon from France in 1960.
- Xicolatada (Palau-de-Cerdagne, France)
Frequently asked questions
What happened on August 16?
69 documented historical events happened on August 16, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: War of the League of Cambrai: English and Imperial forces defeated French cavalry, forcing them to retreat. On the same day, in another year: American Revolutionary War: American forces routed British and German troops at the Battle of Bennington in Walloomsac, New York. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.
Who was born on August 16?
160 people with a Wikipedia article were born on August 16, including Ted Drake, Menachem Begin, Al Hibbler. The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.
Who died on August 16?
112 people with a Wikipedia article died on August 16, including AD 79, George I of Georgia, Bernard de Tremelay. The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.
What is celebrated on August 16?
14 observances are celebrated on August 16 around the world: Bennington Battle Day (Vermont, United States), Children's Day (Paraguay), Christian feast day: Ana Petra Pérez Florido, Christian feast day: Armel (Armagillus), Christian feast day: Diomedes of Tarsus, Christian feast day: Roch. The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.
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Source: Wikipedia · Calendar